Chapter 26

In the county party secretary's office, Yang Weitian and Yan Wangsong looked at each other.

"Secretary Yan, I feel like there might be some misunderstanding between us," Yang Weitian said after a while.

Yan Wangsong couldn't help but laugh, shook his head, rolled a cigarette, and handed it to Yang Weitian, saying, "Old Yang, do you think this little rascal has been thinking about getting promoted all along?"

Neither of them was stupid. A county magistrate and a county party secretary worrying about the appointment of a young man like Xu Junran gave them a sense of shared understanding. They weren't true enemies, just had some differences in governance philosophy. Now, finding a common appreciation for a cadre made them feel like they were on the same page.

"Secretary Yan, I think we should give Comrade Xu Junran a try. What do you think?" Yang Weitian took the cigarette from Yan Wangsong, smoking it for the first time despite not liking it much. Although the taste was pungent and irritating, he no longer felt the same aversion.

Yan Wangsong rolled another cigarette for himself, took a satisfying puff, and nodded, "The county magistrate is right. Since he can come up with these ideas, he must have the ability to carry them out. We should just keep an eye on him to prevent him from making mistakes. What do you think?"

Yang Weitian nodded, "Yes, young cadres are our treasure. We need to protect them. Let's do it this way, Secretary. If the city committee investigates, you can say you didn't know, and I was the one who suggested it, for the purpose of resolving the conflict between Li Family Town and Da Wang Village."

By saying this, he was essentially taking the responsibility away from Yan Wangsong. After all, the two initiatives proposed by Xu Junran, even in today's post-chaos era, carried significant political risks. Yang Weitian was clearly planning to shoulder the responsibility himself.

Yan Wangsong's eyes widened, "What are you talking about? I'm the head of the county party committee. Without my approval, how could you, as the county magistrate, let people do whatever they want? Besides, Xu Junran was recruited by me, so this matter is mine to handle. If the city committee investigates, I will take the responsibility."

After saying this, the two men looked at each other and felt a sense of默契 (mutual understanding).

Yang Weitian laughed for a while, composed himself, and said seriously, "Old Secretary, I had many misunderstandings about you before. I might have done some things wrong, please bear with me."

Yan Wangsong sighed, shook his head with a bitter smile, "Old Yang, I'm the one who's been inflexible. Junran is right. At this time, as long as we can feed the people, why should we care about our reputations?"

Yang Weitian thought for a moment, "If Comrade Xu goes to Li Family Town, there won't be a position for him."

Yan Wangsong frowned, "The director of the county finance bureau, Old Huang, is getting old. I plan to have him step down. Do you have any suitable candidates?"

Yang Weitian was initially stunned but then nodded, understanding Yan Wangsong's intention.

The current staffing of Li Family Town was full, with one party secretary and four deputy secretaries. If Xu Junran were to go there, one of the deputy secretaries would have to move. Positions in the government were not a joke; they were like one-to-one matches. Therefore, the county needed to create a deputy section-level position.

Yan Wangsong suggested that Yang Weitian promote someone to the position of county finance bureau director, which would free up a deputy section-level position. This way, one of the four deputy secretaries of Li Family Town could be moved to fill the vacated position.

Yang Weitian knew that many people in the county coveted the position of finance bureau director, but the old secretary had never spoken up, so it remained vacant. Now, by giving him the choice, Yan Wangsong was clearly strengthening his authority as the county magistrate. This was a significant gift from Yan Wangsong.

"Old Secretary, rest assured. I'll look into it and bring the candidate to the party secretary's office meeting tomorrow," Yang Weitian said to Yan Wangsong.

To his surprise, Yan Wangsong shook his head, "No need for that. Prepare the candidate and bring it up at the standing committee meeting the day after tomorrow. We'll just go through the motions."

The old man's originally cloudy eyes suddenly flashed with a cold light, "This is a matter of whether the people of Li Family Town can eat. Anyone who tries to cause trouble will lose their hat!"

While they were discussing how to promote Xu Junran, our talented Xu Junran was looking rather troubled.

"Really, I'm getting old. I forgot so much!"

Xu Junran rubbed his forehead, feeling helpless.

The idea of raising fish in rice paddies was something he had implemented in his previous life as a township chief. He had even gone to the provincial agricultural research institute for specialized training. However, after several decades, although he had become a young man again, he had forgotten most of the techniques.

In front of Xu Junran was a sheet of paper with a few lines written on it, all about the things to pay attention to when raising fish in rice paddies.

First, choose fields with abundant water sources, good water quality, no pollution, convenient irrigation and drainage, and a deep, non-leaky plow layer.

Second, before spring plowing, use the hard soil from digging fish ditches to raise, widen, and reinforce the embankments around the rice paddies.

Third, dig ring-shaped fish ditches 80-100 cm from the embankments around the rice paddies, and dig "cross" or "well" shaped central fish ditches according to the size of the field. The fish ditches should be 30 cm deep and 40 cm wide. Also, dig a fish pond 1 meter deep and 3-5 square meters in area near the water inlet or the center of the field for the fish to rest.

Fourth, to prevent fish from escaping, set up sturdy fish barriers at the water inlets and outlets before stocking the fish.

Fifth, when digging fish ditches and fish ponds in winter or repairing old ones, apply more than 60 kg of quicklime per mu to disinfect the fields. The fields should be dry when applying the lime. After applying the lime, wait a week before irrigating and apply 600 kg of well-rotted manure per mu to enrich the water. After 4-5 days, stock the fish.

This was all Xu Junran could remember about raising fish in rice paddies. The rest, he had forgotten.

"It seems I'll have to go to the capital and seek help from the professors at the Agricultural Research Institute," Xu Junran thought helplessly.

At that moment, a pleasant voice sounded in his ear, "Big Brother Xu, do you have time after work?"

Xu Junran was startled and turned to see Yuan Xiaoyue standing beside him, her face flushed and looking at him hopefully.

"Xiaoyue, is there something you need?" Xu Junran was a bit dazed before he reacted.

Yuan Xiaoyue, her face still red, said, "I want to invite you and Big Brother Tu to have lunch to thank you for helping me yesterday."

Xu Junran suddenly understood. Yesterday, he and Tu Wenyong had protected her in the crowd, and she was thanking them.

Hesitating for a moment, Xu Junran looked at Yuan Xiaoyue and nodded, "Alright, after work, we'll go together."

(Thank you, Duo Duo, for your suggestions. The errors have been corrected. Thank you, Chun Niu, for your support. This morning, I woke up with a splitting headache. The new book period is really exhausting, causing insomnia and stress. I appreciate your support, your collections, and your recommendations. Thank you!)

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